Over 1,000 Bills Considered During Appropriations Suspense File Hearings
Yesterday, both the Senate and Assembly Appropriations Committees held Suspense File hearings ahead of today’s deadline for fiscal committees to hear and report bills in their house of origin. In hearings each lasting just over one hour, Appropriations Committees advanced or shelved over 1,000 bills. As a result of the hearings, over 700 bills remain in play this year where they will be further debated and acted upon by the Legislature.
Looking ahead, the next several weeks in the Legislature will be heavily budget focused as committees work to finalize items considered throughout the spring, as well as proposals included in the Governor’s May Revision. The Legislature will soon enter a floor only session for the last week of May, at which point all bills must be advanced out of their house of origin.
Below, we highlight Suspense File results of particular interest to CHEAC Members. This latest edition of the CHEAC Weekly Bill Chart is available here.
Access to Health Services
AB 1494 (Aguiar-Curry) –SUPPORT – Do Pass as Amended
Requires Medi-Cal reimbursement for telehealth, telephonic, of off-site services when delivered by specified clinic or provider during or within 90 days after expiration of a state of emergency.
SB 66 (Atkins) – SUPPORT – Do Pass
Authorizes Medi-Cal reimbursement for a maximum of two visits on the same day at a single FQHC/RHC location if: 1) after first visit, patient suffers illness/injury requiring additional diagnosis/treatment; or 2) patient has a medical visit and a mental health or dental visit.
Chronic Disease Prevention and Wellness Promotion
AB 388 (Limón) –SUPPORT – Do Pass as Amended
Requires CDPH to implement action agenda items from CDC Healthy Brain Initiative, conduct statewide Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia public awareness campaign, and award one-time competitive grants to up to eight counties for local planning and preparation activities.
SB 347 (Monning) – SUPPORT – Do Pass as Amended
Requires health warning labels on sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) containers, vending and dispensing machines, and point of purchase for any unsealed SSB.
Communicable Disease Control
SB 276 (Pan) – SUPPORT – Do Pass as Amended
Requires physicians/surgeons to utilize a CDPH-developed statewide standardized request form for immunization medical exemptions. Specifies only medical exemption request forms shall be approved or denied by the state public health officer of designee. Requires CDPH to create and maintain a medical exemption request database and make available the database to local health officers. Authorizes state public health officer or local public health officer to revoke medical exemption under specified circumstances.
Dental Health Services
AB 316 (Ramos) – SUPPORT – Held on Suspense
Requires DHCS to implement a special needs treatment and management benefit for Medi-Cal dental program beneficiaries with special dental needs.
Drug & Alcohol Services
AB 1031 (Nazarian) –SUPPORT – Do Pass as Amended
Requires DHCS to establish regulations regarding community-based nonresidential and residential treatment and recovery programs for youth under 21 years of age.
SB 445 (Portantino) –SUPPORT – Do Pass
Requires DHCS to convene an expert panel and adopt regulations for youth SUD treatment, early intervention, and prevention quality standards.
Emergency Medical Services (EMS)
AB 1544 (Gipson) – OPPOSE UNLESS AMENDED – Do Pass as Amended
Allows LEMSAs to develop local community paramedicine programs for specified services and alternate transport of patients to behavioral health facilities and sobering centers. Requires LEMSAs, if the county elects to establish a paramedicine or alternate transport program, to use or establish a local emergency medical care committee (EMCC). Establishes the Community Paramedicine Medical Oversight Committee to advise EMSA. Requires LEMSA to provide right of first refusal to every public agency located within its jurisdiction to provide community paramedicine program specialties prior to offering private EMS providers. Adds two members to the Commission on Emergency Medical Services.
Environmental Health
AB 1500 (Carrillo) – SUPPORT – Do Pass
Authorizes LHO to issue order to responsible part of hazardous waste release to suspend or discontinue operations, conduct specified environmental testing, and/or assist exposed individuals. Expands UPA authority to suspend, revoke, or withhold unified program facility permit under specified circumstances.
Health Coverage/Health Care Reform
AB 4 (Bonta) andSB 29 (Durazo) –SUPPORT – Do Pass as Amended
Both measures expand Medi-Cal to all undocumented adults with income at or below 138 percent FPL.
AB 50 (Kalra) –SUPPORT – Do Pass
Requires DHCS to submit to CMS an amendment request to expand slots for the Assisted Living Waiver (ALW) program.
AB 414 (Bonta) – SUPPORT – Do Pass as Amended
Institutes a state-level individual health insurance coverage mandate. Requires Covered California to determine a financial penalty for not obtaining health insurance and directs penalty revenues to improve affordability of health coverage in California.
SB 175 (Pan) –SUPPORT – Do Pass
Institutes a state-level individual health insurance coverage mandate. Requires Franchise Tax Board to determine a financial penalty for not obtaining health insurance and expands purposes of penalty revenues to be available for Covered California operational costs of administering the individual mandate and financial assistance program. Requires Covered California to conduct annual outreach and enrollment efforts among individuals who do not maintain minimum essential coverage.
AB 537 (Wood) –SUPPORT – Held on Suspense
Requires DHCS to establish a quality assessment and performance improvement program for all Medi-Cal managed care plans. Requires plans to meet minimum performance levels to improve quality and reduce health disparities. Requires DHCS to develop a plan for value-based financial incentive program.
AB 1004 (McCarty) –SUPPORT – Do Pass
Requires screening services under the Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnosis, and Treatment (EPSDT) Program to include developmental screenings for individuals zero to three years of age.
AB 1088 (Wood) –SUPPORT – Do Pass
Extends eligibility without a share of cost for individuals who would otherwise be eligible if not for a state buy-in of their Medicare Part B premiums.
SB 207 (Hurtado) – SUPPORT – Do Pass
Requires asthma preventive services to be included as a Medi-Cal covered benefit.
Jail and Community Corrections Services
SB 433 (Monning) – SUPPORT IN CONCEPT – Held on Suspense
Requires CDSS to establish and oversee the Office of Youth Development and Diversion (OYDD) Grant Program, consisting of up to five three-year pilot programs to be administered by a county health department or county health services department.
Maternal, Child, & Adolescent Health Services (MCAH)
AB 577 (Eggman) –SUPPORT – Do Pass as Amended
Allows an individual to stay on Medi-Cal for up to one year following the last day of pregnancy if diagnosed with an eligible maternal mental health condition.
SB 464 (Mitchell) –SUPPORT – Do Pass
Requires specified health facilities providing perinatal care to implement an evidence-based implicit bias program for all healthcare providers in perinatal care. Requires hospitals to provide information on filing a discrimination complaint. Requires modifications to death certificates. Requires CDPH to track and publish specified maternal morbidity and mortality data.
Tobacco Control
AB 1718 (Levine) andSB 8 (Glazer) –SUPPORT – Do Pass
Both measures ban smoking and disposal of cigar/cigarette waste at all state coastal beaches or in state parks.
SB 38 (Hill) –SUPPORT – Do Pass as Amended
Prohibits tobacco retailer from selling or offering to sell any flavored tobacco product.
Vector Control
AB 320 (Quirk) –SUPPORT – Do Pass as Amended
Establishes the California Mosquito Surveillance and Research Program and requires the development of an interactive website for the management and dissemination of mosquito-borne virus and surveillance control data.